Episode 57: ELONICA, an interactive demonstrator of a visual prosthesis
At the beginning of this century, researchers from Técnico / INESC ID were part of a European project with the ambitious goal of contributing to restoring some vision in blind people. The experience at Técnico, which involved computer models and computer architecture, tried to help solve the challenge of acquiring and processing images for a device implanted in the brain, without external physical connections. The project has contributed to advances in this field, but also gave rise to ELONICA, an interactive demonstrator of a visual prosthesis, which brings together interdisciplinary knowledge in the field of electronic engineering, and has aroused the curiosity of hundreds of young people over the last few years. It consists of a mannequin motorised head with swimming goggles, five electric motors, lithium batteries, a solar panel that captures the light produced by an artificial sun and a video monitor that features image processing of an artificial retina…
- Acknowledgements:
Leonel Sousa
Moisés Piedade
Pedro Tomás
Episode only available in Portuguese in: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Anchor.fm
Further reading and additional audio in the Portuguese version of this webpage.